Former fugitive from Auburndale convicted of murder in 2022 shooting of Jamaica man: DA – QNS
An Auburndale man is facing up to 25 years to life in prison after he was found guilty in the fatal shooting of a man near a Jamaica bodega in 2022.
Damion Howell, 42, of 194th Street, was convicted of murder and other crimes on Aug. 11 after the jury deliberated for approximately two hours before reaching a verdict. The victim, Julian Askew, 29, was left paralyzed for three months before succumbing to his injuries and Howell fled the U.S. after his victim died and was apprehended nine months later.
According to the charges and trial testimony, on Aug. 5, 2022, at approximately 1:11 a.m., Howell was inside a bodega located at 106-32 Sutphin Boulevard near Tuskegee Airmen Way, when he approached the girlfriend of victim Julian Askew. Howell propositioned the woman for sex, and she told Askew that the defendant made her feel uncomfortable. Askew then approached defendant Howell and the two engaged in an oral argument.
Howell left the location, returned approximately 30 minutes later wearing different clothing and immediately approached Askew. The two men then walked to the end of the block and as they arrived at the corner, Howell produced a gun and shot Askew in the torso. The girlfriend, who was following behind the two men, observed the shooting and called 911. The defendant fled the location immediately after shooting.
Police from the 103rd Precinct found Askew unconscious in a pool of blood. EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital Center and he was initially paralyzed from the waist down. He died on November 14, 2022, as a result of injuries sustained in the shooting.
Howell left the country and traveled to the United Kingdom 11 days after Askew succumbed to his injuries, and was apprehended on May 10, 2023, when he returned to JFK airport.
“Damion Howell propositioned a woman at a local bodega and got into an argument with her boyfriend,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Thirty minutes later, he returned to the scene with an illegal weapon and shot the man. Victim Julian Askew was left paralyzed in the shooting and suffered for three months before ultimately losing his life to the injuries he sustained in this shooting incident.”
Trial openings took place on Aug. 4 and closings occurred on Aug. 11. Howell was convicted of murder in the second degree, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant set a sentencing date of Sept. 9, at which time Howell faces up to 25 years to life in prison.